Ellen Eastwood
Westlake Village, CA

“Most of the self-confidence I had as a young teen,” says authorEllen Eastwood,“I picked up along a hiking trail. The rest probably came from the slobbering affections of the family dog.”

It’s no surprise then, that a lifetime of dog-ownership and miles of wilderness trails led Ellen to createThe Trail Hound’s Handbook. Having earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ellen has more than 15 years of advertising and newsletter copywriting and design experience. Years in the classroom with preschool and school-age children, and her current position as mother of four (two children, two dogs) further prepared her for writing this book.

Ellen and her pack currently reside in Westlake Village, California, surrounded by the rugged Santa Monica Mountains. When she’s not outside with her dogs, Ellen is volunteering at her kids’ schools, working on her new website,HikingWithDogs.net, or playing basketball in a local women’s league.

The lure of playing outside used to get kids up and moving. Today, however, mesmerized youth are plugged in to technology and connected by the web. They are as good as strapped to their chairs.

Not to despair. The effort to roll America’s youth off of the couch and back outside, launched by the White House in 2010, now takes on all the authority of a kid’s own best friend—the family dog.The Trail Hound’s Handbook, aims to turn kids on to nature and hiking by introducing them to the highly skilled, naturally enthusiastic trail guide that is the family dog. The book encourages kids 8-15 years old to venture out, whatever their level of hiking experience, empowering them with:

Tips for planning dog-powered hikes

Basic hiking etiquette, safe practices, and rules

An appreciation for every dog’s unique wilderness skills

Clues to recognizing wildlife along the trail

Assorted text "kibble and bits" to make hiking with dogs simple and fun

Employing full color photos, whimsical but easy-to-read typefaces, and succinct copy,The Trail Hound’s Handbookreinvents the hiking guidebook as a pet-focused, outdoor activity guide for kids and their families. With a lighthearted voice and a slew of fun facts, the format provides immediate pay-off to the curious hiking novice and dog-loving kid, as well as valuable, common-sense skills to support a lifetime of outdoor adventure.

The book’s companion website,KidsHikeDogsHike.cominvites young trail hounds to share their own dog-powered adventures with the world. Like the book, the website aims to keep the topic fun and dynamic, offering select news, and useful resource links, as well as fun, related videos and activities.